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Rattle

ca. 1800–30
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Shaman rituals employ elegant instruments with refined carving, such as this Janus-faced, globular rattle. One side features a bird holding a frog in its mouth, and the other side a being with an anthropomorphic face. The contrast between the complex surface patterns of the avian image and the relatively undecorated yet highly three-dimensional design on the reverse results in a dynamic balance and demonstrates the mastery of its artist.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Rattle
  • Artist: Unrecorded Haida artist
  • Date: ca. 1800–30
  • Geography: Canada, Haida Gwaai, British Columbia
  • Culture: Haida
  • Medium: Alder or birch, paint, cotton cloth, copper nail, pebbles
  • Dimensions: H. 10 1/4 × W. 5 × D. 4 3/4 in. (26 × 12.7 × 12.1 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Musical Instruments
  • Credit Line: Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing